As Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida’s coast, Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz is taking a stand against the call to evacuate. Despite a government order to join the throngs fleeing the state’s southwest, Rabbi Minkowicz is staying put, gearing up to host Yom Kippur services this weekend.
His home, which also serves as a Chabad synagogue, will double as a shelter for those seeking refuge from what’s projected to be the strongest hurricane to hit the area in recent history.
“Chabad is in Zone A, which is actually a mandatory evacuation,” Minkowicz explained to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “So if I was an individual, I probably would leave.” But for the rabbi, duty outweighs danger: “Since I’m a rabbi, and we have a synagogue, and we have people that need help, there’s no way I can leave. So we’re going to stay here and help people, and God will help us.”
In Tampa, Fort Myers, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg, all of which are in the storm’s projected path, many Jewish institutions have called off services or scrapped plans for commemorating the first anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, opting to evacuate instead.
Congregation Beth Am of Tampa, for example, still plans to hold Yom Kippur services but has laid out multiple contingency plans in case Hurricane Milton forces a last-minute change. With an estimated 50,000 Jews in the Tampa Bay area and dozens of synagogues, local leaders are making tough decisions about how to prioritize faith, safety, and community support in the face of the approaching storm.
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